


long as there are stars above you

by orphan_account



Category: Death Note
Genre: M/M, Night Terrors, implied reincarnation/alternate unvierse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-27
Updated: 2015-06-27
Packaged: 2018-04-06 09:44:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4216947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Light wakes L up with a nightmare, and L tries to calm him down again.</p><p>Title from the song <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7ogV49WGco">"God Only Knows."</a></p>
            </blockquote>





	long as there are stars above you

He wakes L up because he's screaming. Not that L would ever admit to having fallen asleep in the first place. He doesn't sleep, he tells Light this every night as he sits there with his chin stuck out trying to be superior to any life form that does sleep. When they first got together, it meant he spent every night out on the couch so he wouldn't bother Light with the illumination from his laptop. Now he goes back to bed with him, and occasionally wakes up slumped over Light's body, mouth slightly ajar so that his throat hurts. 

Light has the good sense to not point out that L has, in fact, been asleep. 

On this night, like all other nights before it, L doesn't remember falling asleep. His laptop has fallen from his lap sideways onto the floor, and if he weren't feeling panic over Light's shout he'd check and make sure the thing isn't broken. Instead he has to turn himself around, disentangle himself from Light's tight grip on him so he can actually look at his partner's face.

But his hands won't budge. L tries to turn around in his grip, kicking him in the shins to try and wake him up. "Light. What you are experiencing is a nightmare," he informs the sleeping body. "You need to wake up."

Light screams again and his grip on L tightens until L feels he can't breathe, shoving his feet back into Light's sternum to wake him from his night terror and sending them both crashing to the floor.

Light's eyes fly open, and the first thing he does is throw a fist at L's face. L manages to catch it before it makes contact and Light's hand drops almost immediately. He's still breathing heavily. If L looks hard enough, he can see tears forming at the corners of Light's eyes. "I'm sorry," he mutters, looking the other way. L puts his hand over Light's. It's cold. He's shaking.

L climbs back onto the bed and pulls Light up with him, making sure they face each other so he can embrace him properly. Light's hands twitch against L's back, trying not to make fists and hold him so tightly again. He shakes, face against L's collarbone, and lets an awkward sob escape his mouth.

"What was your dream about?" L asks, fully expecting Light not to tell him.

He hears Light sniff and try to catch his breath; then, he surprises L. "You died," he says.

L feels him shake his head, jilted though the movement is, caught between his head and his shoulder. "No, that's not it," he says. "I...I killed you."

Anybody else might have been frozen. Might have been afraid of what Light was saying, of all the psychological meanings it could hold. But L, being L, just snorted. 

"It's not funny," Light snaps."I killed you and you were dying and you looked so scared. You looked so hurt and so angry and so afraid of me."

"That's ridiculous," L mutters into his hair. He's running his knuckles up and down Light's back. "What reason would you have to kill me?"

He can feel Light tensing. Light swallows, uneasy, and breathes, mouth open. "I was a serial killer," he says, softly, like he's testing how L will react to the word. "I was the worst serial killer to ever exist. And you were in my way, so I killed you."

L hums. "How did you do it?"

Light pulls back and gives him an annoyed, indignant look. He can't tell in the dark if L is entertained or just asking because he thinks it'll help, but L rubs his knuckles low on Lights back and he manages to say, "I don't know how but...you had a heart attack."

L frowns at him. "Then you didn't kill me."

"It could have been poison or something," Light argues. "I know it doesn't make sense but I know that I killed you -"

"It was just a dream, Light," L reminds him. He places a hand on Light's cheek, thumb rubbing under Light's eye. "It wasn't real. It was fiction." He smirks. "Probably because you've been watching too many horror movies with Mello."

Light huffs, laughing. "It felt real, though," he says. His voice is still quiet. "Like it..." he shakes his head. "Nah, you'll think that's dumb."

"Nothing you say could ever possibly constitute as 'dumb,' Light," L comments, pressing his lips against Light's forehead to distract him.

Light frowns. "It feels like... like maybe it was... an-another life."

L blinks at him seriously. "You mean an alternate universe?"

"I told you you'd think it was stupid," Light grumbles, looking away.

"Oh, no, I believe in those," L says. He presses a kiss against Light's cheek, laces their fingers together, presses a leg against Light's knees to keep him from pulling farther away.

"There's no evidence to support such a thing," Light says.

"And there's no evidence to say they don't exist," L counters.

Light smiles, head still tucked in close to his chest. He's more relaxed now, his body leaning into L's. "Well, I guess there's one consolation," he says, voice lightly teasing. L meets his eyes, quirking an eyebrow at him. "It seems like no matter what universe we're in, you're still the world's greatest detective." He laughs, but it's humorless. Trying to make the best of a bad situation.

L presses their lips together. "And in every universe, I love you," he says softly.

Light frowns. "You couldn't possibly know that."

"Of course I can," he says. "There is no conceivable way for us to exist within the same time without it, and even when we are apart I would love you."

Light smiles and ducks his head into the crook of L's neck, heartbeat hard in his chest for a completely different reason now. "That doesn't make sense," he says. Not that he really cares.

"Does it have to?" L asks. "Things don't need to make logical sense in order for them to be true."

Light kisses L's neck, and hums. "Yeah, I suppose that's true," he says. "After all, you exist. And nothing about you makes sense."

L smiles, pressing his fingers through Light's hair. "Thank you," he says.

He can feel Light's heartbeat returning to normal, his breath getting steadier where it pulses against his neck. Before he can drop off to sleep again, Light murmurs, "You know I love you, right?" Breath paused, like he's not entirely sure what the answer will be.

"Of course," L responds.


End file.
